Heroes’ Interest in Learning

Our heroes are making leaps in bounds in their academic progress. An important factor that significantly affects academic progress is interest in learning. Because our heroes have the freedom to learn based on their interests, their attention increases, they process information more deeply and much faster, and they work harder and smarter.

Each early learner is taking on tasks and challenges that other kids their age may not have even tried. The heroes often challenge themselves to do work that may not be included in the traditional curriculum for their assigned grade level according to their age. But instead of allowing their ages to dictate their learning, the heroes dictate their own learning. They decide what they would like to work on when they set their goals. They decide how much time they would like to spend on a task. They decide when to move on to another task. They demonstrate when they have mastered a skill and decided when they are ready to try a more challenging task.

The results are increased motivation to learn and significant academic progress. Our heroes have made measurable advancement in their core skills computer programs and badge work. Most of our heroes who started in Level M math or reading at the beginning of the school year have earned their badges and have moved up to Level 1. Some of the heroes who started at Level 1 are working on second-grade level material in their computer programs.

The heroes’ interest in learning increases as they challenge themselves on their own. The work they choose is neither too easy nor too difficult so they are willing to put forth a strong effort in their tasks. Our heroes also work hard because they make connections between their work and real-life purposes and they understand the reason for doing their school work.  And most importantly, our heroes know that they learn from failure so they are never worried to fail or make mistakes, which increases their motivation to try and try again.

This week, we were honored to speak with a Vietnam veteran who served in the Marine Corps, Jim Cavalucci. This hero talk was completely planned and arranged by one of our heroes, Amelia. One day, she came to school with a sticky note with a phone number written on it to call her grandpa in Florida. She found out that grandpa served in the Marines so she asked mom if we could call him for our Hero Talk. So Amelia called her grandpa and asked him if he could tell us about being a Marine. She arranged with Grandpa a good time to call him for our conference call with her friends. She also asked her friends for questions they would like to ask her grandpa and collected their questions, which were written in small notepads. And so in a conference call all the way from Florida, Amelia introduced her friends to Grandpa Jim who shared with our heroes his wonderful experience as a marine. He shared with the heroes how much he learned from his service in the Marines especially learning how to be responsible. He told the heroes how he was drafted to join the army when he was 18 years old, but he volunteered to join the Marine Corps. He said he had lots of fun training to be a marine and also serving as the cook and baker. At the end of the call, Grandpa Jim thanked our heroes for their wonderful questions, attentiveness, and for honoring him with this conference call as our honored Military hero.

Our field trip to the USS Silversides Museum was truly memorable as we learned not only about submarines but also about the brave men who were aboard the USS Silversides and their sacrifices to protect our freedom. Our heroes experienced first-hand how it might have felt to live inside the submarine: sleeping in small cots with thirty other service members, and maybe even next to a torpedo; imagining only showering once every two weeks and having to remember twelve things to properly use the “head;” taking turns eating in the small dining room but with the best food in the military, including cakes and ice cream; hearing the loudness of the engines and the alarm signal for “Dive,” “Stations,” and even for “Collision!” Our heroes also enjoyed some stories about the submariners, so ask them about the kangaroo story and if they remember what KFS stands for.

Our Week At A Glance

Please mark your calendars for our Military Quest exhibition, which will be held at Celebration Cinema North, 2121 Celebration Dr. NE, on March 29 at 6pm for the World War II Movie Premier. Our Early Learners will be collecting items for their Hero Boxes for admission. Our heroes will also be holding a “Military Branches Recruitment Fair.”